When Ben delivered milk to my cousin's home that
morning, he wasn't his usual sunny self. The slight, middle-aged man seemed in
no mood for talking.

It was late November 1962, and as a newcomer to
Lawndale, California, I was delighted that milkmen still brought bottles of milk
to doorsteps. In the weeks that my husband, kids and I had been staying with my
cousin while house-hunting, I had come to enjoy Ben's jovial repartee.

Today, however, he was the epitome of gloom as he
dropped off his wares from his wire carrier. It took slow, careful questioning
to extract the story from him. With some embarrassment, he told me two customers
had left town without paying their bills, and he would have to cover the losses.
One of the debtors owed only $10, but the other was $79 in arrears and had left
no forwarding address. Ben was distraught at his stupidity for allowing this
bill to grow so large.

"She was a pretty woman," he said,
"with six children and another on the way. She was always saying, 'I'm
going to pay you soon, when my husband gets a second job.' I believed her. What
a fool I was! I thought I was doing a good thing, but I've learned my lesson.
I've been had!"

All I could say was, "I'm so sorry."

The next time I saw him, his anger seemed worse.
He bristled as he talked about the messy young kids who had drunk up all his
milk. The charming family had turned into a parcel of brats.

I repeated my condolences and let the matter
rest. But when Ben left, I found myself caught up in his problem and longed to
help. Worried that this incident would sour a warm person, I mulled over what to
do. Then, remembering that Christmas was coming, I thought of what my
grandmother used to say: "When someone has taken from you, give it to them,
and then you can never be robbed."

The next time Ben delivered milk, I told him I
had a way to make him feel better about the $79.

"Nothing will do that," he said,
"but tell me anyway."

"Give the woman the milk. Make it a
Christmas present to the kids who needed it."

"Are you kidding?" he replied. "I
don't even get my wife a Christmas gift that expensive."

"The Bible says, 'I was a stranger and you
took me in.' You just took her in with all her little children."

"Don't you mean she took me in? The trouble
with you is, it wasn't your $79."

I let the subject drop, but I still believed in
my suggestion.

We'd joke about it when he'd come. "Have you
given her the milk yet?" I'd ask.

Then six days before Christmas, it happened. He
arrived with a tremendous smile and a glint in his eyes. "I did it! I gave
her the milk as a Christmas present. It wasn't easy, but what did I have to
lose? It was gone, wasn't it?"

"Yes," I said, rejoicing with him,
"but you've got to really mean it in your heart."

"I know," he said. "I do. And I
really feel better. That's why I have this good feeling about Christmas. Those
kids had lots of milk on their cereal just because of me."

The holidays came and went. On a sunny January
morning two weeks later, Ben almost ran up the walk. "Wait till you hear
this," he said, grinning.

He explained he had been on a different route,
covering for another milkman. He heard his name being called, looked over his
shoulder and saw a woman running down the street, waving money. He recognized
her immediately - the pretty woman with all the kids, the one who hadn't paid
her bill. She was carrying an infant in a tiny blanket.

"Ben, wait a minute!" she shouted.
"I've got money for you."

Ben stopped the truck and got out.

"I'm so sorry," she said. "I
really have been meaning to pay you." She explained that her husband had
come home one night and announced he'd found a cheaper apartment. He'd also
started a night job. With all that had happened, she'd forgotten to leave a
forwarding address. "But I've been saving," she said. "Here's $20
toward the bill."

"That's all right," Ben replied.
"It's been paid."

"Paid!" she exclaimed. "What do
you mean? Who paid it?"

"I did."

She looked at him as if he were the Angel Gabriel
and started to cry.

"Well," I asked, when Ben had finished
recounting the story, "what did you do?"

"I didn't know what to do, so I put an arm
around her. Before I knew what was happening, I started to cry, and I didn't
have the foggiest idea what I was crying about. Then I thought of all those kids
having milk on their cereal, and you know what? I was really glad you talked me
into this."

"You didn't take the $20?"

"Heck, no," he replied indignantly.
"I gave her the milk as a Christmas present, didn't I?"